Spritle's Daughter
by Jessica01
Summary: Spritle's daughter, Kaylynn, comes home after being kicked out of her old school. Warning: Language and spanking of a twelve-year-old.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Spritle's daughter, Kaylynn, comes home after being kicked out of her old school. Warning: Language in second chapter, and spanking of a twelve-year-old.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own "Speed Racer: The Next Generation"©, anything with an ©, ®, or ™. And the character

Conor from the show is spelled that way because NickToons© spells it that way on the website. Contains OCs. I made up the Racer boys middle names.

Spritle sat down in a desk chair in front of Speed, who was on the bed. "I know I told you your aunt had a baby

three years before she died."

"You named the child Kaylynn." X said, right beside Speed.

"Yes. I've sent her to a boarding school in Vernon, Alabama. After her mother died, I couldn't raise her on my own.

My friend Connor Knightly raised her. He sent me pictures of her." Spritle pulled his wallet out and opened it. He

showed his nephews a picture of their cousin. She had green eyes, black hair to her shoulders and a light mole on

her chin, and a small one on her right cheek.

"She's adorable!" Speed said. Spritle chuckled.

"She looks just like your aunt, down to those moles. She's twelve, and is on a pranking streak. She's pulled one

too many, so she's been kicked out of West Academy. She's coming home tomorrow. Speed, will you take my car

and pick her up at the airport? She'll be coming in after school, but before I can get off. She has one last day of

school. X, I only ask him because they are closer in age."

"Yes, sir, I understand."

"I want you here when she comes home. You can ask Lucy, Conor, Annalise...anyone you want to welcome her

home. Her pranks were not limited to fellow students."

"Yes, sir. How many bags will she have?" Speed asked.

"In his letter, Connor said four, including her carry-on. I'll have to make you a sign so that she can recognize you.

Don't forget your driver's license, because the stewardess won't hand her over to you until she knows who you

are. I know that ordinarily, you don't want to be recognized, but safety first."

"Thanks, Headmaster."

"If that's all, I have some studying to do." X said.

"Yes, of course. Education is important." Spritle said, standing up and taking the chair back to the desk. He and

Speed left X's room. Speed went back to his and Conor's room. Spritle went home to get ready for Kaylynn's

arrival.


	2. Spritle's daughter

Spritle's Daughter

Summary: Spritle's daughter, Kaylynn, comes home after being kicked out of her old school. Warning: Language in second chapter, and spanking of a twelve-year-old.  
>Disclaimer: I do not own "Speed Racer: The Next Generation"©, anything with an ©, ®, or ™. And the character<p>

Conor from the show is spelled that way because NickToons© spells it that way on the website. Contains OCs. I

made up the Racer boys middle names. I gotta give a shout out to my beta-reader, Kira-kira-katsu. Thank you!

Kaylynn got out of the car at her father's house. She had two bags with her- a backpack and shoulder bag- but

she had a suitcase in the trunk. Speed Racer, Jr., her cousin and a young man of sixteen, got her blue bag and

large red suitcase out of the trunk for her. Kaylynn -twelve years old and in the sixth grade- just stood staring at the two-story house. Speed came up behind her, carrying her things from the trunk.

"I know its pretty on the outside, but it's even prettier inside." Kaylynn dropped her head. Her black hair fell

around her face. Speed laughed. "Don't you want to see your father and meet my friends and brother?"

"I'm not sure about meeting Dad. I mean, he sent me off to boarding school when I was six. It's like he never

even wanted me." Kaylynn said.

"Where did you spend vacations?" Speed asked.

"The headmaster was best friends with Dad in college. He let me stay with him. Even though he kicked me out of

the school." Kaylynn replied.

"That was the school board. And you're the one who kept getting into trouble."

"I was only sent to see him once." Kaylynn added "This year," under her breath.

"Come on. Let's go inside." Speed starting walking toward the house. Kaylynn trailed after him. She climbed the

big steps slowly. _One. Two. Three. Four. Five. _She dragged her feet toward the front door.

"Sure is a slow walker, isn't she?" She heard a boy ask.

"She isn't quite sure about seeing her father after so many years apart. And she's probably real tired after flying

from Alabama to Utah." Speed explained.

"I sent her letters and presents. Why doesn't she want to meet me?" She heard her father ask. She had made it

through the door, but she hadn't looked up. Speed closed the door behind her. Kaylynn dropped her bags.

"The presents and letters were nice, but what I wanted most was you." She said, looking up, and saw a man

about fifty years old with brown hair and black eyes. He stood about five feet tall and was wearing a light blue

shirt, a brown jacket, and brown pants. He also wore brown loafers. He stepped up to her and put his hands on

her shoulders. Kaylynn was wearing a green short sleeved shirt and blue jean shorts. She was also wearing

brown sandals.

"I thought you didn't want me, Father." She said.

"Father is so formal." Spritle sighed. "After your mother died, I couldn't bear to raise you on my own. I knew my

friend Connor Knightly would see to it that you got a good education. I paid for it, but he saw to it that you

studied."

"Yes, and he punished me for bad grades."

"How?" Spritle asked.

"I was grounded and I had the TV taken out of my room."

"You had a TV in your room?" She heard a girl ask. She looked to the left of her father to see who had spoken.

She saw an African-American girl wearing a light blue mechanic's jumpsuit.

"Yes. Everyone hated me because I had such an enviable relationship with the headmaster, even though I wasn't

the only one who lived with him. I explained that he was an old friend of my father's from collage, but that didn't

help. I tried to point out that he didn't give anyone special treatment, but they were having none of it."

"That would make growing up awful hard." She heard a boy say. She looked to the right of the girl and saw a red

headed boy with white pants, a blue polo shirt with a white collar, and brown shoes. He looked to be about

sixteen. She glanced to the right of her father and saw a young man wearing a gray shirt with a black "X" on his

right arm, and blue jeans. He wore black shoes. Speed was to his left.

"Let me introduce you to everyone, Kaylynn." Her father turned around. He indicated the brown haired boy, who

looked to be about seventeen. "This is your cousin, X Racer. His little brother, Speed, is the one who brought you

home." He indicated the girl who looked to be about sixteen. "This is Lucy Jackson." He indicated the red-head.

"And this is Conor Bryan. They all attend my Racing Academy."

"Hello, it's nice to meet you all. Racing wasn't allowed at my old school. We couldn't discuss it, watch it, or even

run."

"You weren't allowed to run?" Conor asked, aghast.

"No."

"Connor Knightly wasn't a racing fan." Her father explained.

"We were only allowed to watch educational television, so that explains the no watching it." Kaylynn said.

"It would." Lucy agreed.

"Of course, that probably made it easier to get to Speed's car, too." Conor said.

"I didn't drive the Mach Six© to pick her up, anyway. That isn't street legal." Speed said.

"He picked me up at the airport. Why was I expelled? It's not like I was the only one to ever pull that prank, and it

wasn't even that dangerous."

"They -and I- have a zero tolerance policy on pranks," Her father said.

"What did you do?" Conor asked.

"Promise not to pull this on anyone?" Kaylynn asked.

I promise not to pull it on anyone." He said.

"No, Kaylynn. Don't tell him." Spritle said.

"_Later_." Kaylynn mouthed to Conor.

"I still can't believe you sent me away just because my mother died. You wanted someone else to raise me, why

didn't you just dump me in an orphanage? Besides, if you didn't want anything to do with me, why did you send

me presents every year on my birthday and Christmas? Why did you write to me?"

"The headmaster took pictures of you to send me. I couldn't bear to be reminded of your mother's death every

time I looked at you. You look so much like her. You even have her favorite name as your middle name-Jessica. I

didn't want someone else raising you because you were MY child. I sent you presents because even though I

knew looking at you would cause me pain, I love you. I was glad to get those pictures of you."

"Talk about getting right down to it." X said.

"Mr. Knightly never believed in beating around the bush, and so he raised me the same way." Kaylynn considered

what her father had just said. "But you let Mr. Knightly raise me. You just said you didn't want someone else

raising me."

"I know. I helped raise you from afar. He would write to me with hypothetical problems, and I would tell him how

to handle it."

"So it wasn't the board of directors that sent me home for the phone prank. It was you."

"Yes. That phone prank was one I myself pulled when I was your age. It seems you got plenty from me as well."

"Zero- tolerance policy on pranks my foot."

"That didn't come until later when one of my pranks really hurt someone."

"I never took it that far."

"Not now, but what about later?"

"You were afraid I'd hurt someone, so you took me from school? Have you even considered where I'll go to school

now?"

"Yes, I have young lady. Why don't you go get settled in? We have one story for you to pick from."

"What about the second floor?"

"No bedrooms up there."

"Have all the rooms been made ready? I mean, have they been aired out, the beds made-I'm gonna need some

clothes. Most of my clothes were school uniforms. They're all alike, but I can at least cut them, maybe have them

altered."

"Of course you can have them altered. Wait…in one of his letters, Conner said that you only had five uniforms."

"He insisted on buying me five more."

"Uniforms?" Lucy asked.

"Yes. It was a boarding school, so we had red and black plaid jumpers, white shirts-long sleeves in winter and

fall, short in spring and summer, white socks and Mary Janes®. The boys had white collar shirts, blue jeans, white

socks, and brown loafers."

Speed and X had picked up Kaylynn's bags and suitcase. They followed her as she walked to the back of the

house.

"Dinner will be in an hour. Conor, Lucy, X, Speed, would you like to stay?"

"Yes, Headmaster!" In the back of the house, Kaylynn peered into each room after turning on the light.

"I think I want a room near Dad's, with my own bathroom."

"His room is right down this way." X led the way down the hall.

"Why does Dad need such a big house?" Kaylynn asked.

"He just likes it. I think he sleeps in a different room every night." Speed said.

"Gregory Yakama Racer, Jr. How dare you spread lies like that about your uncle." X joked. "Actually, I think so,

too."

"Well, I think I'll take this one." Kaylynn had just looked into a room and turned on the light. The room she chose

had blue wall paper, red carpet, yellow trim, a mahogany dresser with a mirror and chest of drawers, mahogany

bed tables, a full mahogany bed with a green bedspread, and white lamps. She went over to the bed and pulled

the bedspread down. The sheets were yellow.

"Mrs. Chenora has the day off." Speed said, leading his older brother into the room after his cousin. "You have a

bathroom next door. Do you have any hobbies, like reading, writing, driving race cars?" He sat down on the bed.

Kaylynn got up next to him.

"Gregory Yakama Racer, Jr., I'm only twelve. Of course I don't race cars! Besides, don't you remember me saying

that wasn't allowed?"

"Oh, yeah. Now I remember."

"I can't wait to start watching non-educational TV. I do read, just not always for education."

"I wouldn't be too sure Uncle Spritle will allow that. The non-educational TV-watching, I mean." X said.

"X Paulson Racer, how dare you spread lies like that about your uncle?" Speed teased.

"My full name is Kaylynn Jessica Racer. I used to think it was Knightly, but Mr. Knightly said it wasn't."

"You never knew your real name?" Speed asked.

"Not my last name. There were several other children like me. Mr. Knightly went to college with a lot of parents.

They all sent their children to his school, and they all lived with him."

"So it was kind of like an orphanage." X said.

"No. Everyone has parents- or at least had. No one came in to see if they wanted to adopt anyone. There were

only four of us, three boys and me. I wasn't the only one with a TV in their room. I wasn't the only one to pull

pranks on him, either. But I was the only one whose father uprooted them. I'm pretty sure that if Mr. Knightly had

used that as a hypothetical problem, Father didn't suggest he send me home. Matter of fact, I'm positive now."

"You heard your father. Mr. Knightly has a zero tolerance policy on pranks." X said.

"No, he doesn't. Then Curran, Dean, and Cyril would have all been expelled, too."

"True. But maybe they will be." Speed suggested.

"Maybe they have no where to go now." X suggested.

"He asked all of them if they had taped down the button on his phone receiver so that it kept ringing and ringing

and ringing."

"I'll tell Conor about that." Speed said.

"Thanks."

"He really takes care of all of those kids?" X asked.

"Yes. I'm sure none of them are charity cases. He did let an older couple live in one of his spare rooms in

exchange for helping out with the kids."

"You think all of their parents pay for them to live there?"

"Yes. Mr. Knightly is kind, but not kind enough to let everyone off scot-free. No one gets through life without

paying for things."

"Good philosophy." X commented.

"It's Mr. Knightly's. He reminded us of it every chance he got."

"Need help unpacking?" Speed asked.

"No thanks. But could you bring me some hangers? I don't know where the laundry room is."

"How many do you think you'll need?"

"Ten. I only have ten shirts and ten uniforms. I'll put my shirts in the drawers."

"They should all have sachets in them." X said.

"Thanks. Could you please ask Dad if he has my medical records?"

"Oh, sure." Speed said, standing up. The boys left and went to the front. Kaylynn got up and opened her

suitcase, which had been placed on the floor. She took her pajamas out first. She put them in the third drawer of

the chestor. She closed the drawer and opened the second one. There were only four. She put her socks in the

second. "I need T-shirts, jeans, tennis shoes, some more socks-since these are getting a little threadbare- I'll

need some shelves, some school supplies. Do I have to wear a uniform? Why am I asking myself these things?

When will I start school? What if the other kids make fun of me?"

"You sure are full of questions tonight." Spritle said as he brought the hangers in.

"Oh, hi, Dad. I was just…"

"Going over the questions you want to ask me at dinner tonight so that I have no choice but to answer them?"

Spritle finished.

"You mean because Lucy, Conor, Speed, and X are going to be here? Yes."

"I'll answer any questions at dinner."

"Yes, sir. But can I get this trim repainted?"

"What color?"

Kaylynn thought for a moment. "Red!"

Spritle laughed "Red it is, then. But that means you have to move. I don't want you in here while people are

painting. It may make you sick."

"Yes, sir." Kaylynn put her underwear (including her bras) in the top drawer of the chestor. She saw a sachet

before she closed it. That explained the lavender smell. She went to her larger red bag; she had a small blue bag

as well.

"I have something for you. I wanted to send it to you for Christmas, but since I was expelled, I brought it myself."

She dug down almost to the bottom. She came back out with something medium sized, wrapped in newspaper.

She handed it to her father. "Early Merry Christmas, happy birthday. Mr. Knightly said your birthday is a month

after mine."

"Yes, it's month after next." Spritle sat on the floor and unwrapped his present.

It was a green vase, with blue squiggles.

"Mr. Knightly said you used to like green and that you used to call me 'Squiggles"."

"Yes. Did you paint this yourself?"

"Yes. We had a unit on throwing pots in art, so I decided to make a vase for you. The teacher put it in the kiln

after I painted it. She told me how to ship it to you myself. I had a box for it." Spritle looked at her bag. Sure

enough, there was a box shape to the bottom of it.

"Why did you call me 'Squiggles'?"

"When your mother was pregnant with you, she said you didn't move; you squiggled. And I wasn't the only one

who called you that. Even Speed called you that."

"My cousin?"

"No, your uncle. He's gone missing, but he'd be very proud of you, and how you grew up to be a very beautiful

young lady, with those big green eyes and that childish smile of yours." Kaylynn smiled.

"There it is." Spritle said.

"I've had a good life. You and Mom were the only people missing. That I knew of, anyway."

"I thought of you everyday. I wondered what you were doing all the time. 'Is she eating well? How are her

grades? Is she interested in things other girls her age are interested in?'"

"Seems you were full of questions, too. And no, I was never interested in things girls my age were. At least not at

the same time. I was usually like, two months behind. Some girls blamed it on me living with so many boys. It was

really just three."

"Three?"

"Yes. I think they were in the same situation as me. We had separate rooms, of course."

Spritle heaved a big sigh of relief.

"You think Mr. Knightly would make us sleep in the same room?"

"I was afraid so."

"We learned how babies are made in the fourth grade, but that's it. Although we also learned the difference

between boys and girls."

"You would have to."

"True." Kaylynn took the hangers and started hanging her uniforms on them. She carried the uniforms over to the

closet when she was through. Her father opened the door for her.

"Thank you." She hung her uniforms in the back. "I need T-shirts, jeans, tennis shoes, some more socks-since

these are getting a little threadbare- I'll need some shelves, some school supplies. Do I have to wear a uniform?

What if the other kids make fun of me?"

"Didn't I say I'd answer your questions at dinner?"

"Yes, sir. It's just that….well, I'm curious."

"I understand. Come along. We're having an 'Everyone for themselves' dinner." He carried the vase.

Kaylynn followed her father to the front of the house. "When will I start school?"

"More questions."

"I have to get them out or else I'll burst."

"Heaven knows I don't want that happening to my baby girl. I just met her after six years." When they reached

the kitchen, Kaylynn saw Lucy getting a plate out of one of the cabinets. She walked over to it and got her own

plate. She started fixing her plate with raw carrots and mashed potatoes. "She would have to be the only twelve-

year-old I know who likes vegetables." Speed said, noticing his cousin.

"I liked veggies when I was her age." Conor said.

"I didn't know you then."

"True."

"You were the lucky one." Lucy teased.

"I wasn't that bad." Conor said defensively.

Kaylynn got some meat loaf and looked for the table.

"Where's the table?"

"In the next room." Her father said. She headed for the next room.

She saw that there were already napkins and silverware at each place. She put her plate in front of one chair and

went back into the kitchen. She found the glasses and got one out. She put it beside the refrigerator and opened

the fridge.

She pulled the Carter's out and opened it. She poured herself a glass and put the lid back on the Carter's, then

tightened it. She took the glass and went back into the dining room. She saw that Conor, Lucy, and X had also sat

down. She slid into her chair beside Lucy. Everyone had Carter's.

"Still eating with three guys." She said.

"What do you mean by that?" Lucy asked.

"She's been eating with three guys since she was six." Speed laughed, coming in and sitting on the other side of

Lucy. They waited for Spritle. He came in, carrying both his drink and plate. "I hate the lighting in here." Kaylynn

said.

"Why?" Speed asked, thinking there would be a good explanation.

"It makes Dad look old." She said simply. Spritle laughed the loudest.

"But, Squiggles, I AM old." He said.

"Maybe you should stop calling her Squiggles." X suggested.

"She sits still pretty well."

"Except in class." Kaylynn said.

"Where did you get that pretty vase you put in the kitchen?" Lucy asked.

"I made it for him. We had a unit on throwing pots in art, so I decided to make a vase for Dad. The teacher put it

in the kiln after I painted it. She told me how to ship it, but since I was coming home, I brought it myself. I had a

box for it, and I wrapped it in newspaper. I was very careful with the bag."

"I put it in the trunk so that it wouldn't roll around much, but she kept freaking out about it breaking the entire

way home." Speed said.

"It was the first gift I ever gave Dad and the first one I ever made myself." Kaylynn said defensively.

"So of course she was worried about it." Lucy said.

"But having a conniption every time I had to slam on the brakes or make a sharp turn?" Kaylynn giggled

nervously.

"I'm going to put it in here." Spritle said.

"Now, Kaylynn, please tell us about the Academy." Speed said.

"Shouldn't we say the blessing first?" Kaylynn asked.

"Yes." Spritle agreed. They bowed their heads and Spritle said the , Kaylynn took a bite of meatloaf, a sip of

Carter's, and started talking.

"I still have to unpack the rest of my suitcase and my bag. I don't remember how I got there, but I do remember

my first day. I was excited about learning to read. I didn't really pay a whole lot of attention until it was reading

time."

"And why not?" Spritle asked.

"I was only six, Dad. Anyway, I had already learned my letters and letter sounds thanks to Mr. Knightly reading to

me every night."

"That was Conner. Always trying to help people learn." Spritle said.

"I remember getting into trouble with the P.E. teacher every time I ran. Little kids have a lot of energy. I needed to

run. Mr. Knightly disagreed. I was sent to him more than once that year. This year, I was only sent to him once

after I put a lotion bottle full of water in the teacher's chair. That wasn't why I was expelled. I actually only got a

paddling for that, and my Disc man® taken away. Yes, I have several albums. Mostly Rick Nelson™. I also have a

lot of Hootie and the Blowfish®. "(I don't really know if that's registered or not, but I don't own it.)

"So you like oldies?" Lucy asked. Kaylynn nodded. She had her mouth full of mashed potatoes.

"I could always teach Kaylynn how to cook if you want me to, Headmaster Spritle." Lucy offered.

"Thanks, but I think I'll wait a little bit. She will be starting puberty soon, though. Do you think you could…?" He

didn't want to finish. Lucy understood.

"Yes, sir. Did you have someone you could talk to about puberty at your last school, Kaylynn?"

"Yes, the nurse. She's the one who taught us about how…" Kaylynn didn't want to finish her sentence. Lucy and Spritle understood.

"Well, don't leave us in suspense! What'd she teach you?" Conor asked.

"How babies are made and how they come into the world." X said, after swallowing.

"How did you know that?" Kaylynn asked.

"I remember the nurse teaching us about it at school when I was your age."

"What was the name of your school again, Kaylynn?" Speed asked.

"Wood Academy." Kaylynn said simply.

"I knew it ended in 'Academy'."

"All of our school supplies came from the school store, and they all read 'Wood Academy: where Academia is

important.' Which confused me, because wouldn't academia be important at every school? And I thought it should

have been "Where running is discouraged." The age group only went up to fourteen."

"So you would have had to leave in two years anyway." Spritle said.

"That doesn't change how I feel about being uprooted." Kaylynn said. Everyone stopped and watched to see how

the headmaster would react.

"I know it doesn't. But we can't keep talking about it. And I don't want you to pull your pranks at your new school.

I also don't want you to keep talking about how much you 'hate' this school and wish you were back at your old

school."

"We can't keep talking about it or you won't keep talking about it? Because I want to know why you didn't just let

me grow out of my pranking phase."

"You may not have outgrown it." Spritle said, worriedly.

"Back to being 'worried that I would hurt someone', are we?" Kaylynn asked, sharply.

"Yes. Of course I'm worried about that! You're my baby girl."

Kaylynn sighed. "I'm sorry, Dad. It's just that today's been very surprising. I always thought I'd be at old Woody

until I was fourteen, then come to find out I have two older cousins, my father is the headmaster of a RACING

Academy, which I've always thought was something bad -even though I never thought running was- and to top it

off, I discover I have an uncle who's missing, and I have his sticker on my binder."

"I know it's tough, baby, but don't you think I'm stressed, too?" Spritle said.

"I know you are."

"As to your questions from upstairs…. You can get the trim repainted, I don't know if you have to wear a uniform,

we'll go out tomorrow and get you some clothes."

"But what if the other kids make fun of me?"

"Just don't react." Lucy said, patting Kaylynn on the head. Kaylynn scowled.

"I don't like strangers patting me on the head." She started eating her carrots.

"I was wondering when you'd get to those." Spritle said.

Kaylynn grinned and chewed. She swallowed and asked "When will I start school, and where am I going?"

"I'm sending you to a nearby public school called P.S. 181. You'll be in the sixth grade since your records all

transferred. You'll have to stay in after-school care because it's two blocks from here, and I don't get off until

4:00."

"I can pick her up." Speed offered.

"You have homework."

"Not every day. And besides, I can put it off until after I pick her up."

"No, Speed. Thank you for the offer, though. Besides, you'd be mobbed."

"I can always take another car."

"I could pick her up." X offered.

"He could. We don't want her to be stuck in after school care." Speed said.

"She'll get help with her homework." Spritle said.

"You're not going to let us win this, are you?" Speed asked.

"He picks his battles well." Conor said. Kaylynn laughed.

"I'm usually non-confrontational." She said.

"That's good. Then the principal won't have to call me." Spritle said.

"The principal calling you for something as trivial as a fight, Dad? You seriously think that'll happen?"

"It better not." Spritle said gruffly, putting a bite of meatloaf in his mouth and chewing vigorously.

"Yes, sir."

"So, you're used to being grounded?" Spritle asked.

"Yes, sir. And lectured, paddled, sent to bed without dinner, having to read out loud-I like reading, just not out

loud- and sent to my room."

"He did all that?" Lucy asked.

"On separate occasions. Usually when I broke the rules at his house."

"Is there anything you were supposed to give me when you came home?" Speed slapped his forehead. Kaylynn

laughed and said "There was a note Mr. Knightly sent home that I gave to Speed because Mr. Knightly told me to

give it to whoever picked me up. I think he was expecting you." Speed pulled the note out of his back pocket and

stood up to hand it to his uncle. Spritle took the note, opened it, and read it. He laughed.

"He's just telling me what you just told me. How you kept trying to run when you were younger- he says you are

very hard-headed-how he punished you by making you read out loud, grounding you, paddling you, sending you

to bed without dinner, and lecturing you."

"He also sent me to bed early, but not often. I suppose he thought it wasn't important enough to mention."

"Did he make sure you had your homework done, your dinner, your bath…?" Lucy started to ask.

"Yes. I had to have all that done before bed. Unless he was sending me to bed early in conjunction with sending

me to bed without dinner."

"He punished you twice?" Spritle asked, dumbfounded.

"Sometimes."

"Where did we go wrong raising you? I tried to raise you to be a sweet obedient little girl. Instead, you were so

bad you had to be punished twice for the same thing. Evil little girl." Spritle said.

"I'm not actually evil, Dad. I wasn't, like, John Wayne Gacy."

"True. And you better not say that he's your hero."

"I'm my own hero." Kaylynn said, smiling.

"Speed Racer, Sr. is my hero." Conor said.

"Big surprise there." Speed joked, smiling. Kaylynn finished her carrots.

"You start school Monday." Spritle said. That day was Friday.

"Thanks." Kaylynn said.

"You may be excused. Did you ever have to ask to be excused from the table at school?" Spritle said.

"No, sir. At lunch, everyone ate in the lunch room."

"What about breakfast?" Lucy asked.

"I ate at the house."

"Every day?" Spritle asked.

"Yes, sir. He hired a couple to live on in his house, in one of the spare rooms. They helped out with us kids. I can't

imagine what would have happened if he tried to take care of us by himself. He actually wouldn't let us out of the

house before breakfast." Kaylynn drained her Carter's. She stood up, pushed her fork further on the plate, picked

up both plate and glass, and took it in the other room. She came back. "I also had chores to do."

"Like…?" Speed asked.

"I had to wash the dinner dishes; clean my room and my bathroom, do my laundry, and get through my

homework. That was a real chore." Kaylynn laughed.

"Not a real homework fan, then." Speed said. Kaylynn left the room.

"Where you going, kid?" X asked, yelling.

"Don't you remember her saying she still has some unpacking to do?" Lucy asked. Kaylynn was already in the

back of the house, unpacking the jeans she had. She was putting them in a drawer in her dresser when Speed

came in. She had already unpacked her carry-on.

"We need to talk about how you've been acting, young lady."

"Yes, sir." Kaylynn said. Speed sat on the bed. Kaylynn went and sat by him. Speed put an arm around her.

"Your father didn't want to send you away. He had to. It would have been hard for him to raise you without your

mother, but at least he sent you somewhere where you'd get a good education. He knew his friend could -and

would- take care of you."

"I know, Speed. It's just that…you haven't been at a boarding school for six years, thinking you're unwanted,

then come to find it you have a missing uncle, two cousins... and a dead mother." Kaylynn said sadly.

"My dad hid me in an orphanage. I never knew my mother, and I didn't meet my brother until I was sixteen, and I

didn't meet my cousin until today."

Kaylynn hung her head. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I've had a good life."

"I meant for my behavior."

"I'm not the one you need to be apologizing to." Speed said. Kaylynn got off the bed and left the room. Speed

thought he knew what she was doing, but he followed her, anyway. She went to the front of the house, and

found her father in the living room watching the big screen TV and sitting on the blue love seat. She walked

across the yellow carpet, and sat next to him. Spritle turned the T.V. off.

"I'm sorry about how I've been behaving." Spritle hugged his daughter.

"I forgive you. You're just stressing over some changes. Just wait until next year. There will be several changes

then. And to answer the question you asked Speed to ask me. Yes, I have your medical records." Kaylynn kissed

her father's cheek and got up. She saw Speed at the door. She walked right past him into the kitchen. She put the

stopper in the sink and took her watch off. She put her watch in her pocket and started the water. She squirted

the soap into the sink, and started putting the dirty dishes in. The dish rag was hanging on the section between

the sink and drain. She picked it up and started washing the dishes after turning the water off. She rinsed it off

and put it in the drain to dry. Speed came up behind her. "Good job apologizing. He knew I had something to do

with it, though."

"Does he think I'm a bad girl for not knowing to apologize on my own?"

"No. He said he knows how some kids your age don't always think of others feelings." Speed gently tugged a lock

of Kaylynn's hair. Kaylynn laughed. Conor came in. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." Kaylynn said. Speed looked at his watch.

"We better get back to school. It's almost curfew." He and Conor said goodbye and called to X and Lucy, who

were in the back finishing up some homework.

They came up front. Conor opened his wallet to show Kaylynn a picture of her uncle's car, the Mach Five©, which

he had gotten of the Internet.

"Nice meeting y'all! Why were you two in the back of the house?" Kaylynn said.

"They knew it would be quiet upstairs, Kaylynn." Spritle called.

Kaylynn finished washing the dishes. She went back to finish unpacking. She put the bag of her bath stuff in the

bath tub. She stepped back and looked at it. The tub was a white claw foot. She looked around the bathroom. It

had blue walls, a red counter, two sinks, silver fixtures, no rug, blue shelves holding the towels, bath cloths, hand

towels, and soap, a red toothbrush holder next to one sink, and a red toilet. She knew how she wanted to

decorate this room. In rubber ducks.

She put her toiletries between the sinks. She went into her room and pulled her binder out of her back pack,

which had been left on the floor. It had a Speed Racer (Sr.) sticker on it.

"I never knew he was my uncle." She opened it and pulled a pencil out of her pencil pouch. She started a list.

Bathroom rug

Socks

Toothpaste

Deodorant

T-shirts

Jeans

Tennis shoes

Shelves

Some school supplies- That should wait until after we get my schedule

Maybe a mesh back pack

2 more sets of bed sheets

Laundry sorter

Body towels

Combination lock for my locker

Two more cars to haul all this stuff

She would show this to her father- joke and all. She grabbed a plastic shopping bag out of her suitcase and went

back into the bathroom and took her bath stuff out. She opened the bagie. She pulled a rubber duck out of the

bag and put it on the top shelf. She took the shopping bag to the shelves and started putting the ducks on the

shelves.

She had ten. She wanted more, but they would come later. Some of the ducks she had were from her father.

Others she had bought with her allowance. The stuffed ducks she had would go in her room. She had squirters,

floaters and non-floaters. Most of the non- floaters would soak up some water. She didn't put them in the water,

and she separated them. In the front of the house, Spritle was calling Speed.

"Speed, I do want you to pick Kaylynn up after school Monday. Just be sure not to take the Mach Six©, and keep it

at twenty-five. She may want to complain about her day, so just let her. Offer her some advice if you can, but

mainly you just need to listen." Spritle paused, listening to whatever Speed had to say on the other end. "Oh,

three. Just drop her off at the house. I'll get a copy made and give it to her Monday morning." Speed said

something else. Spritle replied, "I'll be sure to tell her. She shouldn't, but if she does have detention, you should

take something to do while you wait. If you get detention, ask X to pick her up, will you?" Spritle waited again

while Speed talked. "Thanks. Just tell him everything I told you. You can drive my car. Just come by my office and

get the keys." Speed said something else. After a while, Spritle replied.

"Alright. See you at school. Hopefully not because you're in trouble." He hung up.

In the back, Kaylynn got her underwear, pajama shorts and shirt. She went into the bathroom. She closed the

door, got two towels, and put them in front of the tub. She took another and spread it in front of the tub. She

realized she would need a cup or something to wet her hair with. She went downstairs and into the kitchen. She

got a glass out of the cabinet and went back upstairs, into the bathroom. She put the cup in the bathtub. She

closed the door, undressed, and climbed into the bathtub. She turned the faucet on and started to fill the cup.

Once it was full, she turned the water off and got out of the tub to get the stopper and soap. She put the stopper

in the drain and got back in. She turned the water back on, and dumped the water in the cup over her head. She

opened her shampoo and put it outside the tub. She got on her knees, leaned out, and poured some shampoo

into her hands. She lathered up her hair and turned the water off. She scooped some water up and dumped it on

her hair with her eyes closed. She grabbed the soap and rag, lathered the rag up, and started bathing. She

hoped her father wouldn't call her. She also hoped he wouldn't have a lot of rules. She rinsed the soap off and

wrung out her rag. She wasn't sure where to put it. She looked in the mirror above the sinks. There was a corner,

and around the corner, she saw a towel rack. There. She stepped out of the tub, turned around, and pulled the

stopper out. She went and hung the rag up on the rack. She grabbed her towels and dried herself off.

Afterwards, she got dressed and went into her room. She got her brush out of her bag and brushed her hair.

Then she put her hair up in a ponytail. She went back into the bathroom and hung her towels up. She took her

dirty clothes into her room and dropped them in the floor. She pulled her list out of her binder. Then she grabbed

her pencil, squatted, and-putting the list back on the binder- wrote Women's Degree® Aerosol- Shower Fresh,

Double "A" batteries, and Clock radio. She went to the front of the house and gave the list to her father, whom

she found in the kitchen. She handed him the list.

"This is all I need." She said. He looked it over.

"You want to eat the school lunch?"

"No, sir. So I'll need a lunch box."

"_'Two cars to haul all of this stuff.'_?"

"I forgot shampoo."

"You're out of shampoo?"

"No, sir, I just like being at least two bottles ahead. Of everything, including deodorant and toothpaste, so I'll

need toothpaste, too. And floss. Do you have my dental records?"

"Yes. I wasn't too happy to hear about those cavities."

"It happens to everyone."

"True."

"Good night."

"You're going to bed this early? Well, good night, then. Sweet dreams."

Kaylynn skipped to her room. Spritle watched her, thinking _I'm so lucky to have her. Sure, she may cause trouble, _

_but I can handle it. I can tell her about Speed picking her up tomorrow._ In her room, Kaylynn pulled a worn black dog

with a big red nose and red bow around her neck out of her bag. She went to the right side of her bed and

turned the covers down. She turned on the lamp, and went to turn off the light. She grabbed her deodorant out

of her bag and put it next to her bed. She grabbed her reading book out of her backpack. She turned out the light

and went back to her bed. She got in, snuggled down, and started to read. The door was closed. Spritle opened

the door. "I thought I heard you moaning, so I was going to check on you."

"I'm fine. It must have been your imagination. I didn't hear anything."

He turned on the light. "What are you reading?"

"_How the skunk go tits smell._"

"Would you be reading that Monday?"

"I'm pretty sure. It's two stories after the last story we read as a class."

"So there was a pattern."

"Yes, sir." The wind picked up.

"There it is again. I'm probably going to be coming in here a lot tonight."

"I'll put up with it." He closed the door. Kaylynn kept reading until she couldn't keep her eyes open. Then she put

her bookmark in her place, lowered the book to the floor, turned the light off, and lay down. She said her prayers,

and snuggled down. She closed her eyes and went to sleep. She slept until her father came in, turned the light

on, and pulled Puppy from her arms. She woke up. "Morning, Dad." She sat up, yawned, and stretched.

"Good morning, Kaylynn. Get dressed, we'll have breakfast, and we'll go shopping. There's someone at the office

of P.S. 181. They have Saturday School."

"That sucks."

"It's punishment. It's not supposed to be fun."

"Do they have Saturday detention?"

"That's what it is. Not Saturday School. I think the principal is there, so we can swing by there and pick up your

textbooks, ask about the backpack, any of the rules…"

"Uniforms."

"Yes, and uniforms." Kaylynn got out of bed and grabbed the shorts from the day before. She grabbed a shirt

from the third drawer. She went into the bathroom, peed, and put her shorts on, and washed her hands after

flushing. She dried her hands on her pajama shirt. She took off her PJ shirt, and walked to her room. Her father

had left. She had her T-shirt with her. She had put her deodorant on the bedside table. She used it, and put it

down. She put her shirt on.

She made her bed, and put Puppy on the pillow. She didn't think any of the help would, but she would tell them

not to do her laundry, make up her bed, clean her room, or wash the dishes. She still wanted to do that stuff

herself. She went to the front of the house, into the kitchen. She grabbed an orange and two paper towels. She

went into the dining room, sat down, and started peeling her orange. Her father sat across from her. She wasn't

sitting at the head. "So, you'll be meeting the help today, too. Any special instructions for her?"

"Don't clean my room, make my bed, do my laundry, or clean my bathroom. I've been cleaning my own room and

making my own bed since I was six, and doing my own laundry since I was eight. I've also been cleaning my

bathroom since I was eight. Don't wash the delicate dishes; I've been doing that since I was six. Someone else

dried, and someone else handled the heavy dishes."

"So you're used to it? Do you wash Puppy by hand?"

"Yes. How did you know I named him Puppy?"

"Mr. Knightly told me in a letter."

"I should have known. You sent him to me when, exactly? When I was six? I remember sleeping with him for the

first time then."

"I'm glad you still have him."

"I'm going to decorate my bathroom in rubber ducks."

"Alright. I'll help if I can." Kaylynn had peeled her orange. Now she pulled it apart. Juice squirted her in the eye.

She winced and wiped her eye. Her father chuckled. Kaylynn glared at him playfully.

"I'm gonna laugh my head off when that happens to you." She threatened playfully.

"I suppose I deserve that." Kaylynn started eating, spitting the seeds out as she did.

"That's gross."

"I'm sorry, Dad. I just don't want to choke."

"I know the Heimlich Maneuver."

"That's good."

"After breakfast, run to your bathroom and brush your teeth. You'll be meeting a new dentist."

"When? Today?"

"No. They aren't open today. You'll be going to a kid's dentist right next door to my dentist, so it'll be easier."

"Okay." Kaylynn finished her orange, and scooped it up. She stood up and went into the kitchen. Someone walked

in through the back door. Kaylynn was just throwing her garbage in the trash can.

"Dad!" Kaylynn yelled. Spritle ran in. He sighed with relief when he saw that it was just Mrs. Chenora. She was

tall, tan, and in her thirties.

"Kaylynn, this is Mrs. Chenora. She's my house keeper. Chenora, this is my daughter, Kaylynn. She says for you

not to go into her room, or bathroom. She can handle it. She wants to wash the delicate dishes."

"I'll wash all the dishes if necessary." Kaylynn said.

"Then what will I do?" Ms. Chenora asked.

"Cook?" Kaylynn asked. Spritle and Mrs. Chenora laughed.

"I do that any way." Mrs. Chenora said.

"I'm just used to doing all that myself." Kaylynn said.

"Okay. I'll keep that in mind."

"Thanks." Kaylynn went to the back of the house to her bathroom to floss and brush her teeth. She put her floss

on the floss holder and flossed, switching hands sometimes. She's right handed. She brushed her teeth

afterwards. She looked her shirt over afterwards. She grabbed a hand towel, wiped her mouth, and hands, and

put the towel on the counter. She left and went back into her room, and put her sandals on. She went back to the

front of the house. "How does two dollars a week sound? I'll give you some more chores, like filling the bird

feeders, and I'm sure Lucy and Speed could use some help in the garage. You could hand them tools." Her father

asked when she came back.

"Yes, sir. But how can I help them in the garage? I don't know anything about cars."

"They can teach you. And you don't need to know anything about cars to hand tools."

"Oh."

"And they can teach you about tools. The school encourages students to work on their own cars. That way, we

save money." Spritle said, smiling. Kaylynn laughed.

"Mr. Knightly always said you were thrifty. Actually, he said cheap."

"He called me cheap? Why do you think he taught all you kids to do chores? So that he wouldn't have to pay

someone else to do it."

Kaylynn laughed. "Did you two ever try to out-cheap each other?"

"No. Although I wonder who would have won?"

"How would you compete, anyhow?"

"Good question. Let's go." Kaylynn went into the kitchen and got her list. She folded it and put it in her pocket.

She skipped toward the front door. She opened it and left it open for her father. Spritle had gotten his keys, told

Mrs Chenora where he was going, and followed her. He closed the door and locked it. Kaylynn was standing by

the car-a blue-green Fiesta. "You locked it." She explained. Spritle unlocked Kaylynn's door first. Kaylynn opened it

and got in. She buckled up and waited for her father. "Do you have your list?"

"Yes, sir. Next stop, P.S. 181." Spritle started the car and pulled out of the driveway. They drove to school. Kaylynn

unbuckled and jumped out as soon as her father parked. "Wait." He said. She had to stop herself from running up

the steps. "I won't always be this excited."

"I know. I wasn't when I was your age." They went up the steps together and Kaylynn pulled the door open. She

followed her father to the office. Her father opened the door. He asked the woman at the desk "Is Mr. Ken

Shimatso here? We had an appointment. I'm Spritle Racer, and this is my daughter Kaylynn." He motioned for

Kaylynn to come closer. She did. She saw two girls, wearing black short sleeved tops, red shorts and red sandals

sitting in two blue chairs. One had red hair, the other had blonde. The outer office looked like a doctor's waiting

room, just smaller. She didn't see anyone else in the room. The secretary- or so Kaylynn assumed she was a

secretary- had brown hair in a bun, wire rimmed glasses, and a short-sleeved white shirt.

"He said he would be back in two minutes, Mr. Racer." The principal came back. He had brown hair like her father,

looked to be about the same age, and he wore a suit like her father, except that his was blue.

"So this must be Kaylynn, the little girl you were talking about in your last letter. I haven't seen you since you

were a mere babe in your father's arms." Mr. Shimatso said. Kaylynn shook his hand.

"Hello. You must be the principal, Mr. Shimatso."

"Yes. I'm looking forward to having you here. Your father and I were good friends in college. I knew your mother

in high school."

"Ace Shimatso! It's been too long!" The two men shook hands, touched elbows, and grunted. Kaylynn was

surprised. She had never seen her father act like this. The two girls in detention laughed.

"Coot reunion." One said.

"Go ahead and laugh, Cordelia. You'll be the same way at our age." Mr. Shimatso said.

"Kaylynn here has some questions." Spritle said. Mr. Shimatso squatted in front of Kaylynn.

"Yes, honey? You look so much like your mother. Right down to the moles." Mr. Shimatso said.

"Thank you, sir. I was wondering if we need a uniform I know those two aren't wearing any, but it is Saturday."

"No, you don't have a uniform, but you do have a dress code. Ms. Jillian will give you a copy. She'll have to give

you a copy of the code of conduct, anyway, so you don't end up like Cordelia and Day."

"I do pull pranks sometimes. That's pretty much why I had to leave my old school."

"I guarantee we'll handle that if and when it happens."

"I don't doubt that. If you're anything like Dad…"

"I haven't had to punish her." Spritle interjected.

"Yet." Kaylynn giggled. "Would you call Dad if I get into a fight?" she asked Mr. Shimatso.

"I'd have you call and tell him that you're in detention. We have it every day, but some children get into so much

trouble, that isn't long enough."

Kaylynn turned to Cordelia and Day. "What did you two do?"

"I taped up the door to the teacher's lounge while they were all in there." Day-the blonde- said.

"How'd they catch you?"

"They just know my style." Day said.

"She signed some of the tape." Mr. Shimatso said. Kaylynn laughed and turned to Cordelia.

"I took tampons and poured catsup on them. Then I left them all over campus. They searched my locker and found

the evidence."

"They search lockers?"

"If we have reason to suspect the person." Mr. Shimatso explained.

"Kaylynn here will be in the sixth grade." Spritle said.

"Do we have to have mesh backpacks?"

"Yes. And no open toed sandals." Kaylynn was wearing closed toe sandals.

Ms. Jillian handed Spritle a copy of the code of conduct. It was thick, and in a clear plastic binder. Spritle took it

and promised that Kaylynn would memorize it.

Kaylynn wasn't so sure. She smiled at the principal.

"Well, I'll see you Monday, then." She said. She took her father's hand and started to turn away, but then stopped

and turned back.

"Do you allow running?"

"Not in the halls. You can run all you want outside."

"Do you allow calculators?"

"That's up to the teacher."

"Thanks." The Racers left.

"Running isn't out-ruled. Thank goodness!" Kaylynn said, going to her door.

"Not in the halls. If I find out you've been running, I'll…"

"Punish me." Kaylynn finished, climbing in.

"Exactly. I don't know how, but I will." Spritle got in and started the car. They had both closed their doors. Kaylynn

had buckled up. Spritle buckled up and pulled out.

He drove to Wal-Mart©. Kaylynn got out first after he parked. She pulled the list out of her pocket, looked both

ways, and started toward the store.

"What's wrong? You're too old to walk with your father?" Spritle laughed. Kaylynn had already made it to the

front. She smiled as she waited for Spritle.

"You have to think about my age, Kaylynn. I'm not as fast as you. Or as young." Kaylynn hugged Spritle's waist.

"Sorry." They went in together. "Lucy needs to help you with the bras." Spritle whispered.

"I know, Dad. I wouldn't ask you to help with that." Kaylynn pulled her list out as her father got a buggy.

Bathroom rug

Socks

Toothpaste

Deodorant

T-shirts

Jeans

Tennis shoes

Shelves

Some school supplies- That should wait until after we get my schedule

Maybe a mesh back pack

2 more sets of bed sheets

Laundry sorter

Body towels

Double "A" batteries

Clock radio

She looked at the signs and found "Home and office." She led her father to it. When they got there, she picked

out a duck rug, put it in the buggy, and went to the end of the aisle. She looked at the signs. "Shoe department"

was closer. She knew she'd find socks there. She went to the shoe department and found her some socks made

of recycled fiber. She got a ten pack of size six. Her father caught up with her. She dropped the socks into the

buggy and looked for the next department. It wasn't busy at all. She remembered she had put tennis shoes on

her list. She went to the shoe aisle and picked out some size six Shape-ups®. She sat down and tried them on.

She was sitting on a stool. "I'm gonna need a pair of socks. Will they sell you pack even after it's been opened?"

"They did the last time I did that."

"How long ago are we talking about?" Kaylynn asked.

"Last week." Spritle grabbed the socks and tore it open. He took out a pair and tossed it to Kaylynn. He was right

in front of her. She put the socks on and pulled the paper out of the shoes. Spritle put her sandals in the box,

while she laced her shoes up. She stood up and walked around a little. She looked at her list, and folded the list

so that "Bathroom rug", "Socks", and "Tennis shoes" weren't visible. She went back to" Home and office".

"What size shelves do I need? I'll get rid of some books, but I don't know how many. And what about height?"

Her father had followed her.

"Just get some medium sized ones. We can come back and get some more if we need to." He took the list from

her. She found some mahogany shelves with four shelves on the lower shelf. She grabbed them, pulled them off,

and dragged them to the buggy. Another customer laughed at her. She put the shelves on the bottom of the

buggy. Her father folded the list again.

"You need some pencils, pens, a calculator, lunch box, and notebooks, anything else?"

"I have the rest of this list."

"I meant for school."

"Mesh backpack and lunch box." Kaylynn took the list back and went to look for the "Junior's clothing" sign. She

found it. She knew her father was following her. She picked some jeans and skipped to the fitting room. She went

in, closed and locked the door, and took her shoes and socks off. She stripped her shorts off and tried on the first

of three pairs. "How many do you need?" Her father asked.

"Ten. This fits just fine. I'll fold them and keep them in here. If they don't fit, I'll hand them to you. Okay?"

"Okay. I'll see if I can't find you some more. Juniors?"

"Yes, sir. I have three in here." She tried on the next pair. They fit. She tried on the next pair. They didn't fit. She

put them aside to give them to her father. She put her shorts back on. Her father passed her three more pairs.

She folded and passed him the pair that didn't fit. "These don't fit?"

"No, sir."

"I'll put them up, then." Kaylynn slipped out of her shorts again and tried another pair. They didn't fit, so she

slipped them off, folded them, and put them beside the door. She slipped the next pair on. Her father came back

with four pairs. She passed him the pair that didn't fit under the door. There was enough room under the door to

pass the jeans through. She tried on all the jeans, only having to pass two back.

"I need four more to make it an even ten." Her father brought her four pairs back. They all fit. Kaylynn folded all of

the jeans and put her shorts back on. She unlocked and opened the door, and started to come out with the jeans

in her arms. "Shoes?" her father asked.

"I don't want you going around barefoot."

"Yes, sir." She went back after dropping her jeans into the buggy. She put her socks and shoes back on and

skipped out to her father. She banged her knee.


End file.
